Remote control video modulator

ABSTRACT

A video modulator is presented. The modulator includes a video input interface, a video modulation circuit, a video output interface, a communication interface, and control circuitry. The video input interface is configured to receive a video signal to be modulated, the video modulation circuit is configured to modulate the video signal, and the video output interface is configured to transmit the modulated video signal. The communication interface is configured to receive a command via a communication link to control the video modulator. The control circuitry is configured to receive the command from the communication interface and to control at least one of the video input interface, the video modulation circuit, and the video output interface based on the command.

BACKGROUND

Oftentimes, television viewers living in single-family dwellings orsimilar accommodations receive audio/video programming by way ofindividual cable or satellite television receivers, or “set-top boxes”,capable of receiving a multitude of channels from an orbiting satelliteor cable television head-end. Use of one or more receivers for eachdwelling allows each viewer or subscriber significant flexibility in thetypes and amounts of programming to which the viewer wishes tosubscribe.

However, in more dense population environments, such as apartmentbuildings, hotels, large corporate sites, and college campuses, use ofindividual receiver units for each potential television subscriber orviewer may be undesirable from the standpoint of space consumption andsystem complexity for the individual television antennas and/or cableconnections that may be required, as well as the costs associated withthe initial set-up and maintenance of such a system. As a result,Satellite (or “Small”) Master Antenna Television (SMATV) systems areoften chosen to service such venues. Generally, an SMATV system mayoperate as its own private cable company in that only the channelsdesired by the community to be served will be received and providedthereto, thereby possibly reducing overall subscription costs. In manycases, the system will employ a small group of satellite and/orterrestrial antennas, cable connections, and the like to receive thedesired programming. Further, each channel of programming received viathe antennas and other sources may be selected or tuned to by a separatetelevision receiver or set-top box. Each of the resulting selected videosignals may then be forwarded to a separate audio/video modulator, suchas a National Television System Committee (NTSC) modulator, thusallowing the system operator to align the received channels according toa desired channel lineup. The modulated signals may then be combined anddistributed across the target site via coaxial cable or other means toindividual taps, each of which may be connected to one or moretelevisions, which may then tune to one of the modulated signals underthe control of a user. Typically, the receivers and modulators reside ina small number of equipment racks located in an equipment closet orsimilar area.

As a result, an SMATV system typically provides a significant number ofprogramming channels to a large number of potential users efficientlyand cost-effectively. However, one or more of the system components,such as a video receiver or modulator, may fail occasionally, thuscausing the loss of reception of a programming channel. In response tosuch a failure, maintenance personnel typically are requested to repairor replace the affected component as soon as possible to reduce the timeperiod during which the associated channel is unavailable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the present disclosure may be better understood withreference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings arenot necessarily depicted to scale, as emphasis is instead placed uponclear illustration of the principles of the disclosure. Moreover, in thedrawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding partsthroughout the several views. Also, while several embodiments aredescribed in connection with these drawings, the disclosure is notlimited to the embodiments disclosed herein. On the contrary, the intentis to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a video modulator according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a video distribution system employing avideo modulator according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method of operating a video distributionsystem according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a video distribution system according toanother embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a simplified communication diagram regarding the videodistribution system of FIG. 4 according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a method of operating a video distributionsystem according to another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The enclosed drawings and the following description depict specificembodiments of the invention to teach those skilled in the art how tomake and use the best mode of the invention. For the purpose of teachinginventive principles, some conventional aspects have been simplified oromitted. Those skilled in the art will appreciate variations of theseembodiments that fall within the scope of the invention. Those skilledin the art will also appreciate that the features described below can becombined in various ways to form multiple embodiments of the invention.As a result, the invention is not limited to the specific embodimentsdescribed below, but only by the claims and their equivalents.

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a video modulator 100 accordingto an embodiment of the invention. In one implementation, the videomodulator 100 is a modulator that processes incoming video signals 112that include video, and possibly associated audio, information. Thevideo modulator 100 includes a video input interface 102, a videomodulation circuit 104, a video output interface 106, a communicationinterface 108, and control circuitry 110. Other circuitry, such as auser interface, power supply, and so on, may also be included in thevideo modulator 100, but such circuitry is not depicted in FIG. 1 tosimplify the following discussion.

The video input interface 102 is configured to receive a video signal112 to be modulated. In one example, the video signal is an unmodulatedvideo baseband signal, possibly including related audio information. Inanother example, the video input interface 102 may be adapted to receiveother types of video signals, including unmodulated and modulated analogsignals, and digital signals, such as those conforming to one of theMoving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) standards, such as MPEG-2 or MPEG-4,or the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) digital televisionstandards. In the case of the video signal 112 being modulated, thevideo input interface 102 may be adapted to demodulate such a signal112. The video signal 112 may carry any kind of video content, such asmovies, sporting events, news programs, and the like. Also, the videoinput interface 102 is configured to receive the video signal 112 from adiscrete output device, such as a set-top box or other video receiverdevice, possibly by way of coaxial cable, composite or component videocable, or other video transmission means.

The video modulation circuit 104 receives the video signal 112 that wasreceived (and possibly processed) by the video input interface 102 andmodulates the video signal 112. In one example, the video signal 112 ismodulated at a particular frequency that is either fixed, or that isselected by way of the control circuitry 110, thus producing a modulatedvideo signal 114. According to one implementation, the modulation isperformed according to the National Television System Committee (NTSC)video standard. In another implementation, the modulation circuit 104may modulate the modulated video signal 114 according to the AdvancedTelevision Systems Committee (ATSC) standards, or according to someother video modulation format.

The video output interface 106 may transmit the modulated video signal114 to a destination, such as one or more televisions. This transmissionmay occur by way of antenna, coaxial cable, or other wired or wirelesstransmission means. The video output interface 106 may also amplify themodulated video signal 114 as may be required before transmission,depending on the particular environment involved. In one example, thevideo output interface 106 is configured to transmit the modulated videosignal 114 over a video distribution network, such as a coaxial cablenetwork, to multiple video reception devices, such as televisions orvideo monitors.

The communication interface 108 is configured to receive a command 118from a communication link 116 to control the video modulator 100. Thecommunication link 116 may be any wired or wireless communication linkconfigured to carry such a command. Examples of the communication link116 may include a local-area network (LAN) (such as an Ethernet networkor connection, or a Wi-Fi connection, such as an interface conforming toone of the IEEE 802.11 standards) and a wide-area network (WAN) (such asthe Internet).

The control circuitry 110 is coupled to the video input interface 102,the video modulation circuit 104, the video output interface 106, andthe communication interface 108. Generally, the control circuitry 110 isconfigured to receive the command 118 from the communication interface108 and to control at least one of the video input interface 102, thevideo modulation circuit 104, and the video output interface 106 basedon the command 118.

The control circuitry 110 may control the various components of thevideo modulator 100 based on the command 118, depending on theparticular embodiment. For example, the command 118 may indicate afrequency at which the video signal 112 is to be modulated. In response,the control circuitry 110 may then instruct the video modulation circuit104 to modulate the video signal 112 at that frequency. In anotherimplementation, the command 118 may indicate whether transmission of themodulated video signal 114 is to be enabled or disabled. In reply, thecontrol circuitry 110 may force the video output interface 106 to ceaseor disable transmission of the modulated video signal 114. In anotherembodiment, the control circuitry 110 may instruct the video modulationcircuit 104 to cease modulation of the video signal 112. Similarly, thecommand 118 may indicate that the video signal 112 input is to bedisabled. In response, the control circuitry 110 may disable the videoinput interface 102. In another example, the command 118 may provide aninstruction to alter the signal strength of the modulated video signal114 being transmitted, to which the control circuitry 110 may respond bycontrolling the video output interface 106 to alter the modulated videosignal 114 signal strength in the indicated manner.

The control circuitry 110 may also receive status data from the videoinput interface 102, the video modulation circuit 104, and/or the videooutput interface 106, possibly in response to specific requests from thecontrol circuitry 110. This status may serve as the basis for thecommands 118 being received at the communication interface 108.

The control circuitry 110 may include one or more processors, such as amicroprocessor, microcontroller, or digital signal processor (DSP),configured to execute instructions directing the processor to performthe functions discussed more fully below. The control circuitry 110 mayalso include memory or data storage adapted to contain suchinstructions. In another implementation, the control circuitry 110 maybe strictly hardware-based logic, or may include a combination ofhardware, firmware, and/or software elements. Further, the controlcircuitry 110 may communicate with any of the video input interface 102,the video modulation circuit 104, the video output interface 106, andthe communication interface 108 by way of a data bus, dedicatedinput/output signal lines, or other means.

Employing any of various implementations of the video modulator 100 ofFIG. 1 thus allows remote control of the video modulator 100 by way of aremote computing device via the communication link 116, unlike currentvideo modulators, which normally provide a physical interface, such as akeypad, to control the modulator, thus requiring the physical presenceof an operator to effect any changes in the modulator.

FIG. 2 depicts a video distribution system 200 including a videoreceiver 202, a video modulator 204, and a communication node 206according to one implementation. The video receiver 202 is configured toreceive a plurality of video channels 210, with each channel 210carrying video (or audio/video) content. In one example, the videochannels 210 may be modulated according the NTSC standard, the ATSCstandard, or some other television signal in analog or digital format.The receiver 202 is also configured to select or tune to one of thechannels 210, and to transmit the selected channel 210 to the videomodulator 204 as a video signal 212. If the selected video channel 210signal is modulated, the receiver 202 may demodulate the selectedchannel 210 to yield a baseband video signal 212 in one embodiment. Oneexample of the video receiver 202 is a terrestrial (“over-the-air”),cable, or satellite television receiver or set-top box, although othertypes of television receivers or tuners may be employed to similareffect.

An example of the video modulator 204 is the modulator 100 of FIG. 1. Inthis case, the video modulator 204 is adapted to receive the videosignal 212 from the video receiver 202, modulate the video signal 212,and transmit the modulated video signal 214. As discussed above, themodulated video signal 214 may be modulated as an NTSC or ATSC signalfor transmission to one or more remotely located televisions over avideo distribution network in one arrangement.

The communication node 206 is communicatively coupled to the videoreceiver 202 and the video modulator 204 by way of a communicationconnection 220. The connection 220 may be any link that can transfercommands from the node 206 to the receiver 202 and the modulator 204.Such a connection 220 may be a LAN or WAN connection, such as thosementioned above in conjunction with the modulator 100 of FIG. 1. Thus,the communication node 206 controls the receiver 202 and the modulator204, thus allowing the node 206 to control and coordinate the operationof the receiver 202 and the modulator 204 so that one of the videochannels 210 may be selected and processed, resulting in a modulatedvideo signal 214 being transmitted from the video distribution system200.

A particular method 300 of operating the video distribution system 200of FIG. 2 is presented via the flow diagram illustrated in FIG. 3. Inthe method 300, a first command is transferred from the communicationnode 206 to the video receiver 202 to select one of the video channels210 carrying a video signal 212 (operation 302). The communication node206 also transfers a second command to the video modulator 204 to selecta frequency at which the video signal 212 is to be modulated (operation304). In response to the first command, the video receiver 202 selectsthe indicated channel 210 to receive the video signal 212 and transfersthe video signal 212 to the video modulator 204 (operation 306). Thevideo modulator 204, in response to the second command, receives thevideo signal 212, modulates the video signal 212 at the selectedfrequency, and transmits the resulting modulated video signal 214(operation 308). In one example, the transmission of the modulated videosignal 214 is provided over a video signal distribution network tomultiple televisions or other video reception devices, such as DVRs,audio/video receivers, and the like. Thus, the communication node 206controls the video receiver 202 and the video modulator 204 without thedirect physical involvement of a human operator.

While the operations of FIG. 3 are depicted as being executed in aparticular order, other orders of execution, including concurrentexecution of two or more operations, may be possible. In anotherembodiment, a computer-readable storage medium may have encoded thereoninstructions for the video receiver 202, the video modulator 204, andthe communication node 206 to implement the method 300.

FIG. 4 depicts another video distribution system 400 according to oneimplementation of the invention. Generally, the system 400 includes aplurality of video receivers 402 (labeled 402A, 402B, . . . , 402N) anda plurality of video modulators 404 (denoted 404A, 404B, . . . , 404N),with each of the receivers 402 coupled with a corresponding one of themodulators 404. In one example, each of the receivers 402 may beconfigured as the receiver 202 of FIG. 2, while each of the videomodulators 404 may be adapted as the modulator 204 of FIG. 2. Coupled toeach of the receivers 402 and modulators 404 by way of a communicationconnection 420 is a communication node 406, such as the node 206 of FIG.2.

In one example, each of the video receivers 402 is a terrestrial, cable,or satellite television receiver or set-top box coupled to one or moresatellite or terrestrial antennas/cable head-ends 401 which collectivelyprovide a number of video channels 410. The video channels 410 mayinclude any video and/or audio content channel, such as news channels,sports channels, national broadcast network channels, local televisionchannels, music-only channels, and others. Further, the video channels410 may be formatted according to any analog or digital format normallyassociated with the antenna/head-end 401 sourcing the video channels410, such as NTSC, ATSC, and the like. Thus, as with the video receiver202 of FIG. 2, each of the video receivers 402 are configured to selectone of the video channels 410 as directed by the communication node 406,demodulate the selected channel 410 to yield a video signal 412 (such asa baseband video signal), and transfer the video signal 402 to the videomodulator 404 associated with the video receiver 402.

Typically, the number of receivers 402, as well as the number ofmodulators 404, is greater than or equal to the number of video channels410 that are to be provided to a community or area being served by thevideo distribution system 400. If the number of receivers 402 andmodulators 404 is greater than the number of video channels 410, some ofthe additional receivers 402 and modulators 404 may serve as sparecomponents for replacing any of the other receivers 402 or modulators404.

While FIG. 4 suggests that the number of receivers 402 and modulators404 are equal, such an arrangement is not required. Further, some videocontent may be provided or generated within the video distributionsystem 400. This video content may include content stored on a storagemedium, such as a hard disk drive. Such content generally does notrequire the use of a video receiver 402, but still employs a videomodulator 404 to modulate the video signal generated by the storagemedium.

Each video modulator 404 receiving a video signal 412 may modulate thesignal 412 according to any useful analog or digital modulation format,include NTSC and ATSC, to allow subsequent transmission of the resultingmodulated signal 414 over a distribution network (not explicitly shownin FIG. 4) to individual televisions and other devices locatedthroughout the community or area being serviced.

Generally, each video modulator 404 currently modulating a video signal412 from a corresponding receiver 402 is configured so that each videosignal 412 is modulated at a different frequency to prevent any conflictor interference between the video signals 412. As is described ingreater detail below, the communication node 406 may be tasked withensuring that the modulating frequencies are utilized in such fashion.Further, the communication node 406 may assign the video signals 412 tothe modulation frequencies such that the resulting video signals arealigned or grouped in channels received at the televisions coupled tothe distribution network according to some logical sequence. Forexample, local television channels represented by the modulator videosignals 414 may be associated with frequencies corresponding to theirover-the-air channel frequencies. Further, channels providing similarcontent, such as sports channels or movie channels, may be groupedtogether in some logical order.

Each of the resulting modulated video signals 414 may then betransferred from its associated modulator 404 to a video combiner 408,thus combining each of the modulated video signals 414 into a combinedvideo signal 416. Optionally, an amplifier 409 may then be used toamplify the combined video signal 416 before transmitting the signal 416throughout a community or area by way of a distribution network.

The distribution network may include any means for transporting thecombined video signal 416, such as coaxial cable adapted for such apurpose. Depending on the size of the geographical area being serviced,as well as other factors, the distribution network may include a numberof splitters, amplifiers, repeaters, and associated components to ensurethat the quality of the combined video signal 416 is acceptable at eachterminal or tap to which a television or similar device may beconnected.

Similar to the communication node 206 of FIG. 2, the communication node406 employs commands transferred over the communication connection 420to control each of the video receivers 402 and video modulators 404. Inaddition to instructing one or more of the receivers 402 as to which ofthe video channels 410 to select, and directing one or more of themodulators 404 as to which modulation frequency to employ, thecommunication node 406 may control other aspects of each receiver 402and modulator 404, as well as other components of the video distributionsystem 400 and beyond. For example, the communication node 406 mayinstruct one or more spare or defective receivers 402 or modulators 404to enter a low-power mode, or to awaken from such a mode. In anotherimplementation, the node 406 may alter or adjust the strength of themodulated video signal 414 produced by each modulator 404 to provide asignal of sufficient quality, as well as to balance the audio and/orvideo power levels of the modulated video signals 414 with respect toeach other to reduce annoying or detrimental differences in those levelsat the receiving television. Further, the node 406 may disable one ormore signal input or output interfaces of any of the receivers 402 andmodulators 404. Other command and control possibilities regarding thereceivers 402 and the modulators 404 are also possible in otherembodiments.

Aside from the receivers 402 and modulators 404, the communication node406 may control other components within, or coupled with, the videodistribution system 400. In one example, the video combiner 408, andpossibly the amplifier 409, may be configured to receive and processcommands received from the communication node 406 over the samecommunication connection 420 or a separate communication path. Suchcommands may cause certain inputs or outputs to be enabled or disabled,output signal levels to be increased or decreased, or cause otherchanges within the component receiving the command.

In other embodiments, the communication node 406 may communicate withcomponents, such as amplifiers, repeaters, switches, and splitters, ofthe distribution network. For example, commands from the node 406 may beforwarded to these particular components by way of coaxial cableextending from the video modulators 404 to the video combiner 408, andthroughout the distribution network by way of data transferred over suchcabling. Such data may conform to the Multimedia over Coax Alliance(MoCA) standard in one implementation. In one arrangement, thedistribution network may provide a level of redundancy such that morethan one path through the network may be possible to at least some ofthe network terminals. As a result, the communication node 406 may issuecommands that route the combined video signal 416 over a specificredundant path. Other commands may alter the amount of amplificationprovided by the amplifiers or repeaters of the network, and may addressother functions of the network components of the network.

In addition to carrying commands from the communication node 406 to thereceivers 402, modulators 404, and other components of the videodistribution system 400 and associated distribution network, thecommunication connection 420 may carry operational status from thosesame components to the communication node 406. In one example, suchstatus may be returned at the prompting of the component with which thestatus is associated, without prompting from the node 406. In otherimplementations, the communication node 406 may explicitly request orpoll each component for its status, which the component returns inresponse to the request. Other methods by which the components reporttheir response to the node 406 may be employed in other embodiments.

The types of status returned may depend on the component returning thestatus. Each of the receivers 402, for example, may return statusindicating the current selected video channel 410, status indicatingwhether video signals are present at either of its input or outputports, status quantifying the quality of those signals, and the like.Similarly, each of the video modulators 404 may present statusindicating the current modulating frequency for its modulated videosignal 414, status indicating whether its input video signal 412 isactive, status as to whether its output modulated video signal 414 isactive, and status quantifying the strength and/or quality of thosesignals 412, 414. The video combiner 408, the optional amplifier 409,and other components within and external to the video distributionsystem 400 may provide similar or corresponding status information.

Based on the status received from the various components, thecommunication node 406 may base the commands it issues on that status.For example, an indication from a receiver 402 or modulator 404 that avideo signal is not present at an input or output of the component, orthat a particular video signal associated with the component exhibitsunacceptable quality, may cause the communication node 406 to replacethe affected receiver 402 or modulator 404 with a sparereceiver/modulator pair. FIG. 6, described more fully below, providesone example of such a situation. In another scenario, based on statusesindicating relative signal strengths of the modulated video signals 414,the communication node 406 may issue commands altering those strengthsto at least some of the modulators 404 to balance the strengths of themodulated signals 414 before the signals 414 are combined at the videocombiner 408 into the combined video signal 416. Many other scenariosinvolving commands based on status received at the node 406 from thevarious components are also possible in the environment of FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 provides a simplified communication diagram illustrating thetransfer of commands and status between the communication node 406, thevideo receivers 402, and the video modulators 406. Generally, the node406 transfers commands 502A over the communication connection 420 to thevarious receivers 402, as well as commands 502B to one or more of thevideo modulators 404. Such commands 502 may include requests for statusfrom those particular components. In the reverse direction, thereceivers 402 may transfer status 504A to the communication node 406over the same connection 420, and the modulators 404 may transfer theirstatus 504B to the node 406. While FIG. 5 may be interpreted as therequiring that the commands 502 and statuses 504 being transferred inthe particular order shown, no such order is mandated, as the variouscommands 502 and statuses 504 may be transferred between the receiver402 and modulator 404 components and the communication node 406 at anytime, depending on the particular application.

Based on the above functionality, the communication node 406, by way ofinternal control circuitry, such as a microprocessor, microcontroller,or other processing circuitry, may operate autonomously to control thereceivers 402, modulators 404, and possibly other components of thevideo distribution system 400. FIG. 6 provides an example of a method600 of controlling the system 400 under one scenario. In the method 600,the communication node 406 detects a problem or fault with one of thevideo signals 410, 412, 414, 416 of the system 400 (operation 602). Inone example, the node 406 may detect such a problem by way of the statusindications 504 returned from the receivers 402, modulators 404, orcombiner 408, as discussed above. If the node 406 detects such aproblem, the node 406 may determine whether a spare receiver402/modulator 404 pair is available in the system 400 (operation 604).In one example, the node 406 maintains a list of which receivers 402 andmodulators 404 are currently processing active video signals 410, 412,414. The node 406 may also be cognizant of which channel 410 eachreceiver 402 has selected, which modulation frequency each modulator 404is employing, and so forth.

If a spare receiver 402/modulator 404 pair is available (operation 604),the communication node 406 replaces the pair 402, 404 that is associatedwith the defective video signal 410, 412, 414, 416 with the spare pair402, 404 (operation 606). To this end, the communication node 406 maydisable the affected pair 402, 404, enable the spare pair 402, 404,configure the spare receiver 402 to select the channel 410 associatedwith the defective signal 412, 414, and configure the spare modulator404 to modulate the video signal 412 generated by the spare receiver 402at the frequency previously employed by the previous modulator 404.

If, instead, no spare receiver 402/modulator 404 pair is available(operation 604), the communication node 406 may then replace thedefective pair with an active receiver 402/modulator 404 pair associatedwith another active video channel 410 (operation 608), thus stopping thedistribution of the active video channel 410 in favor of the channel 410previously carried by the defective pair 402, 404. For example, theactive video channel 410 being terminated may be viewed as a“low-priority” channel 410, such as a channel 410 with a relatively lowviewership within the community or area being served by the videodistribution system 400. Identification of the low-priority channel 410may be performed by the communication node 406, by a human operator ofthe system 400, or by some entity external to the system 400.

To allow the video receivers 402, the video modulators 404, thecommunication node 406, and possibly other components of the videodistribution system 400 to communicate with each other via thecommunication connection 420, the system may employ a protocol allowingeach device 402, 404, 406 to automatically announce its communicationaddress, as well as its technical capabilities, to other devices 402,404, 406 coupled to the connection 420, such as Ethernet, Wi-Fi, oranother networking technology. One example of such a protocol is theUniversal Plug-and-Play (UPnP) networking protocol, which facilitatesformation of peer-to-peer networks of general-purpose and embeddedcomputing devices using a number of networking standards, such as TCP/IP(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), UDP (User DatagramProtocol), and others.

As described above, the communication node 406 may be configured tocontrol the various components 402, 404 of the video distribution system400 in an “automatic” (self-reliant) mode without guidance from exteriordevices or operators, thus serving as a controller for the system 400.The method 600 of FIG. 6 is just one example of the kinds of operationspossibly performed by the node 600. In lieu of, or in addition to, thisautomatic mode, the communication node 406, as well as the othercomponents of the system 400, may receive messages, commands, and thelike from a remote computing device 430 coupled to the communicationnode 406 by way of a communication network 425, as shown in FIG. 4.

In one example, the communication network 425 may be a WAN, such as theInternet, although other types of networks, such as LANs, may beemployed in other examples. The remote computing device 430 may be anydevice capable of communicating over the communication network 425, suchas a desktop or laptop computer, a mobile communication device, a PDA,or other communication device. In one particular implementation, thecommunication node 406 serves as a web server from the standpoint of thenetwork 425, and the remote device 430 communicates with the node 406 byway of access to one or more web pages provided by the node 406. Otherforms of communication, such as message passing, file transfers, and thelike, may be employed to similar effect.

In such a configuration, the remote computing device 430 may controlmany aspects of the video distribution device 400, such as selection ofwhich of the video channels 410 to select, selection of which modulationfrequency to employ for each of the selected video channels 410 fortransmission to the community being served over the distributionnetwork, setting of relative signal strengths of the modulated videosignals 414, selection of which receivers 402 and modulators 404 toserve as replacements for defective components 402, 404, and othercontrol functions.

Returning to FIG. 5, the remote computing device 430 is depicted assending one or more command messages 506A, to which the communicationnode 406 responds by communicating with one or more of the videoreceivers 402 and video modulators 404 to perform the command or taskreflected in the messages 506A. One or more of the command messages 506Amay act as a request for the communication node 406 to perform one ofthe functions listed above, such as channel or modulation frequencyselection. In another example, the remote computing device 430 providesconfiguration data regarding selected video channels 410, modulationfrequencies, and the like, in one or more command messages 506A, towhich the communication node 406 responds by issuing the necessarycommands to the video receivers 402 and video modulators 404 to set thesystem 400 in the desired configuration.

After reception of one or more command messages 506A, the communicationnode 406 may then transfer at least one status message 506B to theremote computing device 430, which may indicate the status of the videodistribution system 400 in response to the one or more command messages506. In another implementation, the status messages 506B may indicate acurrent status of the video distribution system 400, and need not beassociated with the commands 502 and status 504 transferred between thecommunication node 406, the video receivers 402, and the videomodulators 404. In another example, one of the command messages 506A isa request for one or more status messages 506. Overall, the commandmessages 506A and the status messages 506B need not be transferred intime relative to the commands 502 and status 504 involving the node 406,the receivers 402, and the modulators 404 as specifically illustrated inFIG. 5.

At least some embodiments as described herein thus allow a videodistribution system including video receivers and video modulators toaddress several component failure scenarios, either automatically orwith the aid of a remote computing device in communication with thesystem. As a result, a personal visit to the system by a technician orother personnel to repair the system may be avoided, or at least delayeduntil a more convenient time. Further, periodic changes to variouscharacteristics of the system, such as the alignment of selected videochannels to modulation frequencies, or the rebalancing of signalstrengths of video modulator outputs, may be performed in a similarfashion, thus reducing the required number of technician or operatorin-person visits to the system, thereby reducing system maintenancecosts.

While several embodiments of the invention have been discussed herein,other implementations encompassed by the scope of the invention arepossible. For example, while various embodiments have been describedwithin the context of a video modulator, other types of signalmodulators, such as radio or other audio modulators, may benefit fromapplication of the concepts describe above. In addition, aspects of oneembodiment disclosed herein may be combined with those of alternativeembodiments to create further implementations of the present invention.Thus, while the present invention has been described in the context ofspecific embodiments, such descriptions are provided for illustrationand not limitation. Accordingly, the proper scope of the presentinvention is delimited only by the following claims and theirequivalents.

1. A video modulator, comprising: a video input interface configured toreceive from a discrete output device a video signal to be modulated; avideo modulation circuit configured to modulate the video signal; avideo output interface configured to transmit the modulated videosignal; a communication interface configured to receive a command via acommunication link to control the video modulator; control circuitryconfigured to receive the command from the communication interface andto control at least one of the video input interface, the videomodulation circuit, and the video output interface based on the command.2. The video modulator of claim 1, wherein: the command indicates afrequency; and the video modulation circuit is configured to modulatethe video signal at the frequency indicated in the command.
 3. The videomodulator of claim 1, wherein: the command comprises an indication as towhether transmission of the modulated video signal is to be enabled ordisabled; and the video output interface is configured to control thetransmission of the modulated video signal based on the indication. 4.The video modulator of claim 1, wherein: the command comprises anindication to alter the signal strength of the transmitted video signal;and the video output interface is configured to alter the signalstrength of the transmitted video signal based on the indication.
 5. Thevideo modulator of claim 1, wherein: the control circuitry is configuredto obtain a status from at least one of the video input interface, thevideo modulation circuit, and the video output interface; the commandcomprises a request for the status; and the control circuitry isconfigured to return the status via the communication interface over thecommunication link.
 6. The video modulator of claim 5, wherein: thestatus comprises at least one of an indication as to whether a videosignal is present at the video output interface, a current signalquality of the transmitted video signal, an indication as to whether avideo signal is present at the video input interface, and a currentsignal quality of the video signal received at the video inputinterface.
 7. The video modulator of claim 1, wherein: the video signalcomprises a baseband video signal; and the transmitted video signalcomprises a radio frequency video signal.
 8. The video modulator ofclaim 1, wherein: the communication interface comprises an Ethernetinterface.
 9. A video distribution system, comprising: a video receiverconfigured to receive a plurality of channels of video content, toselect one of the channels, and to transmit the selected one of thechannels as a video signal; a video modulator configured to receive thevideo signal from the video receiver, to modulate the video signal, andto transmit the modulated video signal over a video distribution networkto a plurality of video reception devices; and a communication nodecommunicatively coupled to the video receiver and the video modulator,wherein the communication node is configured to generate and transmitcommands to the video receiver and the video modulator to controloperation of the video receiver and the video modulator.
 10. The videodistribution system of claim 9, wherein: the communication node iscommunicatively coupled to the video receiver and the video modulatorvia an Ethernet connection.
 11. The video distribution system of claim9, wherein: the communication node is configured to receive messagesfrom a remote computing device, and to generate and transmit thecommands based on the received messages.
 12. The video distributionsystem of claim 11, wherein: the communication node receives themessages from the remote computing device via an Internet Protocolconnection.
 13. The video distribution system of claim 9, furthercomprising: a second video receiver configured to receive the pluralityof channels of video content, to select a second one of the channels,and to transmit the second selected one of the channels as a secondvideo signal; a second video modulator configured to receive the secondvideo signal from the second video receiver, to modulate the secondvideo signal, and to transfer the second modulated video signal; and asignal combiner configured to receive the first and second modulatedvideo signals, and to combine the first and second modulated videosignals into a combined video signal; wherein the communication node iscoupled to the second video receiver and the second video modulator, andwherein the communication node is configured to generate and transmitcommands to the second video receiver and the second video modulator tocontrol operation of the second video receiver and the second videomodulator.
 14. The video distribution system of claim 13, wherein: thecommunication node is configured to: transfer a first of the commands tothe first video receiver to select the first one of the channels;transfer a second of the commands to the second video receiver to selectthe second one of the channels; transfer a third of the commands to thefirst video modulator to select a first frequency over which the firstmodulated video signal is to be transferred; and transfer a fourth ofthe commands to the second video modulator to select a second frequencyover which the second modulated video signal is to be transferred,wherein the second frequency is different from the first frequency. 15.The video distribution system of claim 9, wherein: at least one of thevideo receiver and the video modulator is configured to receive arequest for status, and to return the requested status; and thecommunication node is configured to transmit the request for status tothe at least one of the video receiver and the video modulator, and toreceive the status returned from the at least one of the video receiverand the video modulator.
 16. The video distribution system of claim 15,wherein: the communication node is configured to process the statusreturned from the at least one of the video receiver and the videomodulator, and to generate the commands transferred to the videoreceiver and the video modulator based on the processed status.
 17. Thevideo distribution system of claim 9, wherein: the communication node isconfigured to receive messages from a remote communication device via acommunication network, to process the messages, and to generate thecommands based on the processed messages.
 18. A method of operating avideo distribution system, the method comprising: at a communicationnode of the video distribution system, transferring a first command to avideo receiver of the video distribution system to select a channelcarrying a video signal; at the communication node, transferring asecond command to a video modulator of the video distribution system toselect a frequency at which the video signal is to be modulated; at thevideo receiver, selecting the channel to receive the video signal, andtransferring the video signal to the video modulator; and at the videomodulator, receiving the video signal, modulating the video signal atthe selected frequency, and transmitting the modulated video signal overa video distribution network to a plurality of video reception devices.19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: at the communicationnode, transferring a request for status to at least one of the videoreceiver and the video modulator, and receiving the status from the atleast one of the video receiver and the video modulator, wherein atleast one of the first command and the second command is based on thereceived status.
 20. The method of claim 18, further comprising: at thecommunication node, receiving a message from a remote communicationdevice and processing the message, wherein at least one of the firstcommand and the second command is based on the processed message.